Bristol pack win the battle up front after loss of Ward-Smith

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When Bristol repair to La Manga this week for a well-earned break and reappraisal, they will be congratulating themselves on a victory that, at half-time, seemed as distant as the midwinter delights of the Spanish resort. Starved of possession in the first half, Bristol had to defend for their lives to stay in this highly physical match, but once they got the ball in the second half and started implementing their punishing driving mauls, Northampton’s pack, which had been dominant in the first half, could not hold them.